By Paul M. Banks

Dutchie Caray, widow of baseball broadcasting legend Harry Caray, recently made headlines for blasting an advertisement that featured an impersonator of her late husband.
http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/stories/2008/04/29/att_0429.html

The ad ran constantly during March Madness, and even though I hated the spot as much as she did, I refrained from asking her about the situation. When I caught up to her at the grand opening of Little Cubs Field in Freeport, Illinois she was in an extremely jovial and gregarious mood. I figured “why do anything to possibly change that?” On this day she had the same friendliness and zest for living that her late husband was known for. This was a special day for Caray: she arrived in a limo to cut the ribbon on Little Cubs Field, throw out the ceremonial first ball and lead a group singing of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” I spoke with her about this little park that features the commemorative logo of her late husband on the gift shop behind home plate; the same image that appears on a rooftop across the street from the original Wrigley Field.   

Her initial thoughts of the park……

DC: “I think I read some things about it earlier when they started it. It sounded like a really neat idea. I have a place in Palm Springs and they have a little replica of Wrigley Field out there. But that is for bigger kids and this is just so nice for these little kids. I just can’t believe how excited they must be to be able to play on such a nice field.”

PMB: Isn’t the story of how Little Cubs Field was built astounding? The story of all these people working for free, donating materials from their business:

DC: “It’s an amazing feat, just goes to show you what people can do if they put their minds to doing something.”

PMB: it’s a great place not just for Cubs fans, but baseball fans in general…..

D.C. “It almost is a shame that they didn’t build it a little bigger, the walls weren’t out further so the bigger kids could play in it. But this is really a great start for little kids to be able to play here. They have their own field that the big kids can’t play on.”

PMB: And the Ron Santo flag is authentic, taken from the big park….

DC: “Yeah, I think they’re {also} waiting for Ryne Sandberg, Ernie Banks and who’s the last one?

PMB: Billy Williams

DC: Yes, Billy Williams, my good friend Billy Williams.”

PMB: What would the Cubs players think/say if they came here…

DC: “I think they’d be kind of thrilled; a lot of the ballplayers have little children. They’d be really excited if their children had a place like this to play. I don’t know that they would come out. You know how ball players are today. With their million dollar salaries they just do what they want.

PMB: Do you think this would have been possible without the Cubs’ granting that access to Denny Garkey?, would he have been able to get the job done without the behind the scenes tour of Wrigley?

DC: “I think we would gotten the job done somehow one way or another. How could you refuse somebody the opportunity to do something like this? It’s just such a neat thing for these little kids.”

On what Harry would think if he was alive to see the park today…

DC: “Harry was such a baseball fan. I’m sure he would think it’s a neat place for these little kids. The big kids can’t play here. They (little kids) should be very well attuned to baseball by the time they graduate from here. They’ll have a good time here.

Her overall impression of the park…

DC: “For such a little place, I think it’s adorable. It’s a great thing for little kids to come out and play on a nice field like this. It kind of blows me away. It’s real neat. The scoreboard is unbelievable. They brought me out a little earlier today and it’s just an unbelievable thing to see.”

Caray and company singing “Take Me out to the ball game”

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